By Kavita Mistry 
Team India, after winning their opening two games of the ongoing Women’s World Cup, have lost three consecutive matches at the tournament and are currently in a mix as they seek to secure a semifinal place.
With three teams — Australia, South Africa, and England — already securing a place in the top four, India and New Zealand remain the leading contenders for the final spot as they prepare to face each other in a do-or-die match.
A victory against the White Ferns on Thursday will secure India’s place in the semifinal, but a loss would leave them in misery as the Women in Blue will need to rely on other results. If India suffer a defeat against the Sophie Devine-led side, they’ll have to beat Bangladesh in their final group-stage encounter on Sunday and hope for the New Zealand to lose their last group stage contest to England. In that case, India and New Zealand will finish with six points each and their qualification will depend on their Net Run Rate (NRR). Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. are currently tied with New Zealand on four points but are placed above them courtesy of a higher NRR.